Just the Two of Us Stranger Things
by Aspect48
Summary: A short read aimed at staying closely linked with the show. It's focus on the relationship between Mike Wheeler and Eleven after the events from season 3. If you miss these characters as much as I do, this might tickle your fancy.


_WARNING - Read this after you watch Stranger Things seasons 1-3_

**Just the Two of Us**

Mike couldn't sit in one place. He walked back and forth on the pavement next to the bus stop. His bike was lying somewhere behind the bench in tall grass. There were some people around him but he didn't even notice their faces. His heart was pounding and every second took ages. He kept looking at the road ahead hoping that the bus might come earlier. He left home an hour early because he couldn't suffer even a single more minute waiting in his room, but now it was even worse. He stopped and tried to calm himself realizing that drops of sweat started appearing on his forehead. He made a few deep breaths...

For over a month he was preparing for this day. His mind kept going back to Eleven all this time and it was unbearable all the way through, after she and the Byers had moved from Hawkins. He tried to work on himself during that time and it became a focus for him. A single promise was made: not to disappoint El ever again. He needed to be smarter, thoughtful and honest. The longing was much stronger than ever before, especially because they could talk on the phone and theoretically were free to meet. It was just a long way and both of them agreed not to be a burden for Mrs. Byers. Mike decided not to waste this time and besides hanging out with the other guys, he started practicing.

Nancy was quite surprised when he asked her about good romantic movies, but she didn't argue. In fact they started watching them together, both thinking of their other halves far away, both hugging pillows and silent all the way through. Mike took notes though. What do people in love do... How to kiss... Where do couples go... He even exercised lip movement on the back of his hand. His research skills were put to a good use, or at least so he would hope.

Suddenly his chain of thoughts was interrupted. A surge of endorphins hit his body when he saw the object of his desire. The bus was coming! Not knowing what to do with his hands, he tried to adjust his hair one more time and then stood there almost frozen from anticipation.

The vehicle stopped with a distinctive hiss of hydraulics and the door opened. Mike tried to look inside through the windows, but the daylight didn't allow him to see through. He counted the people getting out. First there was an old lady with a giant blob of hair held by a sizeable hair clip, then a couple of kids with their father, then a guy so big that Mike felt like his entire body was lighter than his arm. And then, there She was.

Eleven was wearing yellow sneakers and a colorful, light dress. Her hair were flowing freely, living their own life, adding to her charming appearance. She saw Mike from behind another exiting passenger and smiled widely. They waved each other, El jumped a little a couple of times, waiting as some lady went out from the bus and laughed softly in anticipation. When the way was clear she quickly launched herself out and into Mike's embrace. He was enamored, holding her tightly and enjoying her familiar smell he liked so much.

\- Mike... - whispered El with relief and happiness in her voice.

\- I'm so happy to have you back - replied Mike quietly, touching her soft face with his cheek.

\- Why are you keeping it here? - asked El when she saw her old tent in Mike's basement as they sat on the couch, just by themselves.

\- This..? I don't know... It reminds me of you somehow - his voice crackled a little, he tightened his grip on her hand as if he wanted to feel her warmth better.

They looked each other in the eyes and smiled enjoying the peace together.

\- It was a good idea - she said.

\- What? - asked quietly Mike, a little surprised.

\- To spend some time like this, just the two of us.

The boy nodded and gave her a deep look, the corners of his lips rising slightly. She leaned towards him and started kissing him. Her boldness send shivers down his spine, it was so cool. She was so cool. He kissed her back, differently than before, as he practiced by himself. It felt good, and it appeared that she liked it as well since her fingers tightened on his palms. Mike opened his eyes to see the face that he loved, so filled with emotions. She seemed to be pleasantly surprised as she exchanged the kisses with her eyes closed.

\- Where did you learn this? - she asked after a while and straightened her back, her eyes opened a little more widely in a sign of surprise.

\- Learned what? - Mike felt that his cheeks were turning red of the excitement.

\- To kiss like that...

\- O-Oh... Well... I theorycrafted while you were gone - he answered a little embarrassed. Quickly he realized confusion in El and added - Theorized, practiced by myself.

She skewed her head a little and then smiled broadly.

\- I like it

They had a pleasant afternoon cuddling and telling stories about the recent days. Mike put on some of his new favorite music and Eleven showed him her sketches she started drawing when she was bored. The time went by incredibly fast and soon it was evening. They only had two days of the weekend left together and both grasped at every possible minute.

Mike's mom invited both of them for breakfast. They sat by the table exchanging glances with Mike's parents and Holly. The young couple was pretty quiet, they ate the waffles and smiled to each other from time to time. Mrs. Wheeler eyed them up frequently sensing the affection they shared. After a while, Nancy came by and said hello to everyone. She sat next to El and engaged in a lighthearted talk about the recent days, asking about Jonathan only once or twice. Mike felt the spark of anger building within him as HER attention was stolen from him, but he quenched it quickly reminding himself that he can't be selfish like that. Instead he joined in, allowing Nancy to have a part in the conversation as well.

After a while, Mike offered to gather the dishes and smiled under his nose seeing the amazement building up on his mom's face. Then he nodded to El and they both thanked for the meal.

\- I think we should have a walk - he suggested when they left the kitchen.

His girlfriend smiled and nodded in approval and in a minute they were outside, holding hands, walking towards the nearby woods. The day was sunny and they both had great moods. El ruffled his hair and he laughed happily.

\- You know what? - he started - I think the evidence are there. You are definitely a mage. That's why you charmed me this strong.

She looked at him and prodded his back laughing.

\- Feel the lightning

Soon they left the street and entered a path into the forest. It was early autumn and the trees looked very pretty. Somehow Mike didn't feel that way ever before. With El around, everything was this way. Better.

\- Hey... - he stopped and delicately pulled her to face him - Is all of this true, or are you just visiting me in my dreams?

She wrinkled her brows and saddened a little.

\- No. I lost my powers, remember? - she replied looking up at his face.

\- Yea... I was about to ask about this... Don't worry, I'm sure you're still recovering after all of the... stuff.

He hugged her tightly as she recalled the events from before this month. Her legs twitched a little. Mike then grabbed her cheeks with his hands and looked into her eyes warmly.

\- As long as we have each other, everything will be fine - he whispered, grabbing a tear that tried to escape her left eye with his thumb.

She cuddled up to his chest and her breath slowly calmed down. Mike rubbed her back gently waiting for her to regain confidence.

\- Are you okay? Ready to go further? - he asked softly, his lips touching her hair with every word.

She muttered something in reply and pulled herself back. She nodded as her sadness started to leave her slowly.

When they walked forward he felt a little bit of pride as he was much taller than two years before, when they met. It was very satisfying to be a help and reassurance for her in the tougher times. This forest brought back many memories. They felt whimsical, almost fictional now, when they had this calm walk together, free of any immediate concerns.

They spent a few more hours walking slowly between the trees, having breaks from time to time to sit down and hug or just enjoy the nature around them. Mike felt like he was in one of his games, he had someone he loved and she loved him back, walking through a magical forest together. Eleven seemed to enjoy it just as much. She let her sadness burn it's course and finally all that was left were the feelings for Mike and the enjoyment of the current moment.

Then suddenly she held up her arm and stopped her boyfriend.

\- I hear something.

Mike scoured their surroundings looking for something suspicious and after a while heard something like a voice of a man in the distance.

\- It's probably someone having a walk, just as we are - he said, shrugging slightly.

\- No. Listen - she demanded quietly.

He tried to make up words of the speaking and then he realized it. It wasn't English. His heart immediately picked up the pace.

\- What should we do? - he asked looking at her face and starting to get a little scared.

\- Let's come closer - she answered like it was very obvious.

\- This may be one of the Russians, like a sole-survivor of their mission. Spying - Mike continued - Are you sure you want to come closer to him?

El nodded with determination and so there was no further arguing. They sneaked up towards the coming sounds. Soon a small shack emerged from between the branches, it would look like a standard kid's wooden base, however it had a giant antenna on its roof. The voice was coming from the inside.

\- We should send a message to the military - Mike whispered and checked on El to see if she doesn't want to come even closer.

To his concern, it seemed like she did. He looked at her with trepidation and the only answer he got was her picking up quite a sturdy branch like one would pick up a mace.

\- Hey, El. You sure about this..? You can't use your powers anymore - he whispered.

However he had to concede when she started sneaking up behind the shack. He looked around in search of a weapon. There were several oval stones between the leafs so he picked some up and hastily matched his pace with El. She gave him a sign to go around from the other side. The hut didn't have any doors, only a rug hanged in the entrance. They could see inside through the gaps.

\- _Povtoryus, mne nuzhna nemedlennaya evakuatsiya_ \- the man desperately repeated over and over into what seemed like a ramshackle radio station.

Eleven showed Mike something she had found on the other side of the shack, a strong rope, and she nodded towards the man sitting on a stump and trying to reach his comrades. Mike nodded and they slowly entered the room that smelled of sweat and alcohol. They slowly reached the man and the girl gave him a sign that she was ready, he nodded.

El took a massive swing with the club at the man's unkempt, hairy head. He grumbled and fell from his seat. To their surprise and fear, he got up, checking his skull which started to bleed slightly. He was quite tall, he had a massive beard and looked like a caveman. Something was clearly wrong with his right leg, it looked like it was broken and didn't receive proper medical care.

\- _Vy_... - he growled, clearly recognizing them from the encounter in the mall.

Mike didn't wait for his move and threw a stone at the Russian agent. It hit his head, but it seemed to only anger him. The boy grabbed Eleven's hand and they ran out of the stinky hut. Then they set up an ambush. As the man went out, they attacked from both sides trying to overpower him. He was quite weak, suffering from malnutrition and the aching leg, however he was still strong enough not to fall. He pushed at Eleven and knocked her back, his strong hand managed to grab her club and tear it from her grip. He then faced Mike who threw a rock at the man's stomach desperately trying to stop him. The Russian stuttered, but was not stopped and attacked the boy with the branch. As the wooden club was falling down upon the boy it suddenly stopped mid air, inches away from his nose. He grasped for air after he held his breath in the heat of the moment. Then from behind the man Eleven appeared, holding out her hand.

\- El! - shouted Mike - your powers are back!

She smiled slightly as a small streak of blood spilled from her nostril. She forced the Russian agent onto the ground and held him in place allowing Mike to grab the rope and carefully tie his hands up.

\- So you just needed a stressful event... - said Mike looking at El - I was the bait!

He smiled, feeling the adrenaline slowly leaving his body.

\- Yes. You did your job perfectly - she replied and wiped the blood off of her face.

When the Saturday evening was getting dangerously close, they returned home, sneaking into the basement, as they tried to hide the fact that their clothes were so dirty from everyone else.

\- That was an exciting adventure! - summarized Mike - Let's not do that again...

El laughed and came closer to him. They sat down on the sofa, tired after the eventful day. Earlier they left the Russian agent under the police station with a note they wrote describing the position of his wooden hut in the forest. Mike returned with his thoughts to the present and smiled.

\- Still, everything is fine. We have each other...

El nodded and closed her eyes as Mike leaned towards her to kiss her. Her tummy grumbled.

\- I will grab something to eat - he offered with a slight laugh, backing away.

\- Yes please! - answered Eleven and kissed his cheek allowing him to leave her for a moment.

Soon, after they ate, they were again on the sofa and El started to practice her telekinesis. Cushions and RPG miniatures started floating through the air in the middle of the room as she toyed with them carefully guiding them in an orderly fashion. Mike sat next to her with his head resting on his hands and looked at her and her exercises happy that she was full again.

\- El..? - he said in shock, as he felt much lighter suddenly.

Eleven laughed and turned her hand towards him as he started to slowly float up from the sofa.

\- Hey... that's not funny - he complained, but after a while he brightened up - It's... kinda cool!

\- Haha! Bitchin'! - she answered happily and slowly put him down next to her.

He shook his head in amusement and put his hand on hers. They kissed again, and not for the last time that day, but El backed away after a moment.

\- You know what I need to do now - she whispered to him.

He understood her after a moment and turned on the TV trying to create the static. Meanwhile El grabbed a piece of cloth to cover up her eyes. Mike hugged her and tied the cloth behind her head for her.

\- Be careful, I love you - he whispered to her ear.

\- I love you too - she responded confidently and then she started to look for Hopper...


End file.
